As Canada prepares to watch its athletes go for gold at the Olympics in Vancouver starting on Feb. 12, the National Post looks back at the 39 gold medals the nation has won in Winter Games history.
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When we Owned the Podium: Kathy Kreiner
- February 27, 2010 6:34 PM |
- By John Shmuel
Story provided by
Name Kathy Kreiner
Olympics 1976 Innsbruck, Austria
Event Women's giant slalom
The Setting Kreiner had competed in her first Olympic Games four years earlier, when she was just 14-years-old. Her inexperience led to a 14th-place finish in the slalom event.
On the day Kreiner was going toe-to-toe with some formidable talent in the giant slalom. But none were as intimidating as West Germany's Rosi Mittermaier. Mittermaier had already won gold in the women's downhill event, and was favoured to win it in the giant slalom as well. At 26, she was also far more experienced than the 18-year-old Kreiner, and favoured to take home all three alpine gold medals.
Kreiner's run was the first for the event, and Mittermaier went fourth. The German's run was technically perfect initially. She led Kreiner throughout the early checkpoints. However, a poor line on a gate near the finished cost her the slightest dip in time.
Kreiner was crowned with the gold medal, Canada's only gold in the 1976 Winter Games. Mittermaier was forced to settle for silver (the West German however went on to win another gold, resulting in two golds and one silver for her at the Games.)
Afterlife Kreiner currently works as a mental trainer for young athletes. She has also co-authored a book, Winning After Winning: The Psychology of Ongoing Excellence, with sports psychologist Terry Orlick.
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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